What Are You Practising / Composing Now?

[Serial_Apologist]

You must remember Simon though, he was a member of the original Radio 3 Forum and then this one, under the names Julien Sorel, John Skelton, Arcades Project and probably others I can't remember.

Yes I do.

[RichardB]

Yes I do.

His blog is still up at http://walkingintheceiling.blogspot.com/ which contains much beautiful material.

[Joseph K]

I'd be pretty chuffed, Joseph K.

Thank you, Serial_Apologist. Certainly progress from last month - four weeks ago, the last time I recorded the fugue - has been made; however there is still some way to go, though I have to remind myself that progress has indeed been made in order to motivate myself and not feel down that I'm currently not better than I am - patience is key.

[Serial_Apologist]

Thank you, Serial_Apologist. Certainly progress from last month - four weeks ago, the last time I recorded the fugue - has been made; however there is still some way to go, though I have to remind myself that progress has indeed been made in order to motivate myself and not feel down that I'm currently not better than I am - patience is key.

My grandmother had one of those stitched moral reminder samplers on her kitchen wall that were common in Victorian homes, which read:

Patience is a virtue,
Keep it if you can.
Seldom found in woman,
Never in a man.

[Joseph K]

Here's a new old new old etc. departure for me.

[Serial_Apologist]

Here's a new old new old etc. departure for me.

I love improvising on Stella by Starlight. I have a small repertoire of standards, with that one high on my list. Others include It's That Rainy Day - which I started out with, initially just copying Bill Evans's version from "Bill Evans Alone", and after I don't know how many years it's sort of taken on a life of its own!

[Joseph K]

I love improvising on Stella by Starlight. I have a small repertoire of standards, with that one high on my list. Others include It's That Rainy Day - which I started out with, initially just copying Bill Evans's version from "Bill Evans Alone", and after I don't know how many years it's sort of taken on a life of its own!

I agree, I like Stella too. After doing a few takes yesterday evening though, I now have that tune - specifically, that backing track - firmly seared into my head as an Earworm. Going to have to avoid it today and only play other backing tracks.

It's funny, after returning to jazz guitar my right-hand technique is pretty much as good as when I left it - which to me demonstrates that I had no chops in that area in the first place! Well, I am determined to make that change, now. And I am pleased to discover that I haven't forgotten much of what I spent hours learning regarding harmony, scales and arpeggios on the fretboard. And after having spent an errant year of classical guitar playing, my left-hand is like a knife through butter, at least on the guitar you see in the video above.

[Joseph K]

I have a transcription of John McLaughlin's song 'Marbles' and I'm learning the whole thing. Lots of fun! Not sure how long this project will take...

[Joseph K]

Getting the melody wrong improvising around the melody...

This is another standard I like.

[Serial_Apologist]

Getting the melody wrong improvising around the melody...

This is another standard I like.

I once told Norma Winstone that she should record this song, and have it re-titled in tribute to her partner, HUGH Mitchell!

[Dave2002]

I've picked up my flute a bit lately. I attributed problems to my embouchure - and being very out of practice.

Getting worse! Eventually I couldn't stand it any more, and tried to play some notes which should have been easy, which suddenly seemed to have "gone" completely.

Suspected a leaky pad, or a key not closing properly. Finally noticed that one of the screws had worked itself loose, and several keys had simply started to "float". I also noticed another screw which was working loose - though had not completely come adrift. Once I found my small screwdriver set my tone improved considerably - though still needs improvement.

Currently have the Ukrainian national anthem to work on - as well as some rather more complex and difficult pieces.

[Joseph K]

Feeling quite pleased with how my plectrum technique is coming on. I keep remembering back to the ignominious decision (in hindsight) to give up jazz guitar in the first place, with a sense of defeat, just over a year ago, I think it was a misunderstanding over plectrum technique; seems absurd in hindsight that I considered myself physiologically incapable of making the main movement come from my wrist (see #701). I am also fairly certain I experienced a mild form of repetitive strain injury in 2020, too.
In any case, the motto I have discovered is a pastiche of the Funkadelic album title - "Free Your Arm and Your Wrist Will Follow" - in other words, while it is fine for the joint movement of the initial attempts at fast tremolo to come from the elbow, it is only by doing that and in the process loosening up the whole arm that one can get a smooth and fast movement from the wrist. I think I got down that I could only do it from the elbow, rather than strictly from the wrist, which was pretty daft. It doesn't matter anyway, because I am very pleased with how things are going now, no more tension or RSI, just nice smooth and fast wrist motion. Obviously I have some way to go yet, but things seem auspicious.
I still use my classical guitar for left-hand exercises in the morning, and I play BWV 998 once through - it's not quite as enjoyable since abandoning classical guitar and its right-hand technique and experiencing the loss of technique in that area, though; oh well, I know which side my bread is buttered on!

[Dave2002]

Covid strikes again. The full orchestra session has been cancelled this week as several players have been infected.

Just when I - and others no doubt - thought that we'd got through it all. AFAIK I still haven't had Covid - unless I had it very early on and didn't know. Still sounds like something to avoid - if at all possible.

[BBMmk2]

Covid strikes again. The full orchestra session has been cancelled this week as several players have been infected.

Just when I - and others no doubt - thought that we'd got through it all. AFAIK I still haven't had Covid - unless I had it very early on and didn't know. Still sounds like something to avoid - if at all possible.

Oh no! Sorry to hear.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

Well, I can put away Rach 2, having done my bit against Russian culture yesterday. Low notes and scales for a few days, I think!